2 weeks left...

I can't believe it has been another 3 weeks already! I am now over 35 weeks along. All my doctors are very surprised I'm still pregnant. I guess we'll see just how big I can get.  The end is in sight though; just about two more weeks at most!

35 weeks and since I forgot to put it up, 32 weeks.

This week I had a really fun shower! Thanks so much to everyone who came and especially to Rachael and Sarah for putting it together. There was delicious food, creative onesie decorating, adorable gifts, and such wonderful company. We are so grateful to have such great friends and family!

So Far So Good

The babies and I are doing really well. We went to the perinatologist this afternoon for our monthly ultrasound. It is hard to believe that we have already been home from the hospital for a month (this was the guy who sent me to the hospital last time). The ultrasound showed I have not progressed at all! The Dr seemed a little surprised that my cervix was holding so well, and I still hadn't delivered. Apparently, I am pretty good at this bed rest thing (or just lucky).

Apple and Bluebear are also doing well. They looked so big and so much more developed. They also looked really cramped. I now have about 9 lbs of baby inside me. Apple is 4 lbs and 10 oz. Bluebear is 4 lbs and 1 oz. The Dr was also pleased that the size difference between them is smaller than last month.  Bluebear's ventricles continue to be about the same size.

Overall, it was a very reassuring appointment.

A special thanks to Kalina for taking pictures for us last week! 

32 weeks and counting

Another week has already passed. Time flies when you are on bed rest. On Monday, Tricia and Nathan came to visit.  It was a lot of fun to hang out with Tricia and to play with little Nathan. That guys just makes me more and more excited for Apple and Bluebear.

Mark agrees (he was able to hang out with us for a little when he came home for lunch). He couldn't stop smiling the whole time he was holding Nathan - He also wouldn't share.  Only 5 more weeks or so (I don't imagine I'll go much past that full term 37 week date-if I get there). We can hardly wait!

The Phone Game

One of the things I find myself doing sometimes is balancing my phone on my belly and watching Bluebear play with it. It is a lot harder to see on video, but she really likes kicking it around. I am sure Apple would like the game too, but she is too busy playing with my insides. Sorry it is sideways, I don't know how to change that and don't know why it turned sideways in the first place.

31 Weeks!

We made it to 31 weeks! We hear lots of different milestones regarding pre-term babies (seems like pretty much each week is a milestone). One of them was to make it to 31 weeks when the odds of neurological impairments flatten out.
So far bed rest hasn't been so bad. I've been able to do a lot on my computer, so I'm not bored. I have plenty of pillows to prop myself up however I want, so I'm pretty comfortable. I have a personal A/C unit keeping me very pleasant (feels like 110F outside...who knew?). Mom came down for a couple days to care for me (pretty much cleaned/cooked the whole time she was here. Thanks!). We have received lots of food from the ward. Mark has also been cooking for us (and the missionaries). I think he is finding that he likes cooking (and he is good at it).

The babies are doing well, too. They are constantly on the move. My contractions have been pretty stable and not worrisome. So hopefully we can hang on and make it to October.

Too Excited

As I may have mentioned already, Mark and I are really excited to have our little girls join us. My body, however, got a little too excited. Resulting in......a 3 day stay at the hospital while I received a round of steroids and got my contractions under control. Although the survival rates at 29 weeks are very good, we are glad that things are stable with the babies still growing inside. And we are glad to be home from the hospital.

I had gone in for a routine ultrasound Thursday when my Dr noticed that my cervix had started funneling, meaning that the top (baby side) was opening up a little. I was admitted to the hospital based on that finding. I was also dilated to a 1 (which we found out at the hospital). The Dr also discovered during the ultrasound that both babies look healthy and Bluebear's ventricles are about the same. Apple was 3 lbs. Bluebear was 2 lbs 6 oz. I didn't get any pictures. I think he got a little distracted by the cervix.

At the hospital I got steroid shots to help mature the babies just in case they were born early and some other medications to calm down my contractions so that I wouldn't go into labor before the steroids had time to take effect (48 hours). That first night was really crappy, but it got better from there. There were some more ups and downs over the next couple days, but Sunday early afternoon I was stable and able to go home.

So now I'm home on bedrest, which has its own ups and downs. It has been a week since I went into the hospital. I feel good mostly. I have had very few contractions and feel like I can read my body pretty well now. I know what I can do and at what point I need to back off. The hardest thing about bedrest is feeling fine but needing to ask somebody else to do something for me (people have been so kind and generous. Thanks!). Doing this for another two months seems like a really long time, but I feel like I can do it. I hope the babies will cooperate.

A Kat on a Hot Tin Roof

...really just a Kat in hot Houston (and she let me know it was hot. There were daily comparisons to Utah's idyllic weather).

My little sister came down last week to visit us. It was really fun to have her come for a few days and her trip just flew by!

She helped me make some things for the girls and then decided she would have more interest in sewing if she made a purse. So while I did baby projects, Kat made a little handbag.

Everything turned out very well. I was quite impressed with our beginners expertise. It took awhile though.

Kat's favorite thing, however, was making and eating ice cream. I think Kat and Mark made two batches each night she was here. Kat and I had purchased about 20 lbs of peaches, and they made some really good ice cream. The raspberry ice cream was also scrumptious. Perfect snacks for the late nights talking, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. Too soon I was taking Kat back to the airport.

Thanks for the visit Kat, Mark and I love being with you. You are welcome anytime!